ITWire

According to Tobin, the implementation of Velocity had enabled North east Water to follow its strategic IT path and move to a “strong, modern technology platform,”, and added, “we are looking forward to further developing our new CIS and integrating it to other core corporate applications.”

Tobin said North East Water had used Gentrack solutions since 1996, deploying the Gentrack water billing and customer care platform amid the restructure of the Victorian water industry. 

He said an ever increasing focus on water sustainability and cost reflective pricing had driven many councils and water utilities like North East Water to review aging systems and IT requirements to prepare for new market structures and the demands made by regulators and customers alike.

“The upgrade (Gentrack) has been quite significant for North East Water and has allowed us to refine our business processes and look to maximise the capabilities of the new system to support the future of our business. At this early stage we are already seeing greater operational efficiency in our call centre, and we foresee greater savings from reduced system maintenance and training.”

According to James Docking, more changes within state-based water markets are expected with the planned consolidation of water retailers and distributors in Tasmania and South East Queensland before the end of 2010, which he claimed Gentrack was well equipped to support.